Separator



(No Model.)

J. M. FINCH.

SEPARATOR.

No. 412,172. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

UNITED STATES ?ATENT EEicE;

. MARYSVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

JOHN M. FINGH, or oRocKErT, ASSIGNOR or PART TO John R. cnoss, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, GEORGE RILEY, or VALLEJO,

AND FRANK MILLER, OF

SEPARATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,172, dated October 1, 1889. Application 51st May 4, 1889. Serial No. 309,623. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. FINCH, of Crockett, Contra Costa county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Separators; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of machines for the separation of materials according to specific gravity, the separation taking place in a revolving body of air; and my invention consists in the construction and combinations of devices which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective machine of this class adapted for the separation of any materials, but principally applicable to mill-stock.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanation of my invention, the figure is a vertical section of my machine.

A is a stand, upon the top of which is mounted a shell or casing B, having a contracted top opening I). Mounted within this casing is a disk or wheel 0, adapted to rotate in a horizontal plane, being mounted upon the upper end of a vertical shaft D, the lower end of which is suitably stepped in a bearing cl below. Upon this shaft is a friction-gear E, with which engages a friction-pinion F on a drive-shaft G, the outer end of which carries the pulley g. The pinion F is mounted upon a feather on the drive-shaft, and is adapted to slide back and forth by means of a carrier f, the lower end of which is actuated by a screw f. The movement of this pinion is for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the speed of rotation of the disk or wheel 0 above. It will be seen that this disk or Wheel has such adiaineter and is so mounted Within the. casing B as to leave a surrounding or encircling chamber b, in which the separation is effected. In this chamber is a flanged ledge b around its outer wall, and connected by arms 0 with the bottom of the disk or wheel are the scrapers 0, one set of which plays over the ledge b and the other set plays over the bottom of the shell or casing. The top of the disk or Wheel is a perfectly plane surface, and it rises high enough to form between its edge and the contracted top opening b of the shell or casin g an annular feed passage. (Represented by H.)

I is a spider on top of the shell or casing, and having secured centrally a feed-hopper J, the neck of which extends downwardly and is adapted to discharge the material centrally upon the top of the disk or wheel 0. This neck is externally threaded, and screwed upon it is the regulating gate or valve K, which is in the shape of an inverted pan, the rim is of which extends downwardly into the annular feed-opening H between the top of the frame, disk, or wheel and the contracted top opening 12- of the shell or casing. By screwing this gate or valve up or down on the neck of the hopper, it regulates this connecting feedopening H, as will be presently described.

L is an outlet-spout from the flanged ledge b and M is an outletspout from the bottom of the shell or casing.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The material to be separated is placed in the hopper, and thence passes down through its neck to the top of the disk or wheel. A rotary motion is imparted to this disk or wheel, and it is obvious that a body of air immediately surrounding its periphery accompanies it constantly, as the shell or casing is substantially air-tight, it not being the intention to deliberately admit or discharge any of the air within it, so that the rotating disk or wheel does not act in any manner as a blower. The rotary motion of the disk or wheel causes the material fed upon its horizontal plane top to be thrown oif centrifugally toward its outer edge, and, falling over said edge, it passes down through the annular communicatingaperture I l directly into the sphere of the revolving body of air in the separatingchamber 19. In and by this revolving body of air the lighter portions of the material are thrown outwardly toward the outer wall of the chamber 12', While the heavier portions are thrown outwardly to a less extent, having a tendency to drop directly down through the body of air. The lighter portions, being thrown outwardly, fall upon the flanged ledge 5 while the heavier portions fall down directly into the bottom of the shell or casing, and the scrapers 0', moving over said ledge and bottom,

discharge the separated materials through the discharge-spouts L and M, respectively. Now by the vertical adjustment of the panshaped gate or valve K the passage of the material is regulated or controlled, for by lowering said gate or valve the material is directed downwardly to a greater extent before it is subjected to the action of the revolving body of air, and therefore a less separation is had, and by raising the gate or valve the material is directed more immediately into the sphere of the revolving body of air, and is thereby effected to a greater extent, resulting in a more complete separation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a separator, the combination of a practically air-tight shell or casing, a disk or wheel mounted therein so as to rotate in a horizontal plane, and having a diameter sufficiently less than that of the shell or casing to leave a surrounding separating-chamber in which a horizontally-revolving body of air accompanies said rotating disk or wheel, and a feed device for directing the material to be separated into the sphere of the revolving body of air, substantially as described.

2. In a separator, the combination of a practically air-tight shell or casing and a disk or wheel mounted therein so as to rotate in a horizontal plane, and having a diameter sufficiently less than that of the shell or casing to leave a surrounding separating-chamber in which a revolving body of air accompanies said disk or wheel, and a feed-hopper above for directing the material upon the top of said rotating disk or wheel, whereby it is discharged centrifugally over the edge thereof and into the sphere of the revolving body of air, substantially as described.

3. In a separator, the combination of a practically air-tight shell or casing and a horizontally rotating disk or wheel in ounted therein, and having a diameter sufficiently less than that of the shell or casing to leave a surrounding separating-chamber in which a revolving body of air accompanies the rotating disk or wheel, separate receiving floors or compartments with separate outlets in said surrounding chamber, scrapers operating on said floors, and a feed-hopper for directing the material upon the top of the rotating disk or wheel, whereby it is directed centrifugally over its edge into the separating-chamber and into the sphere of the revolving body of air therein, substantially as described.

4. In aseparator, the combination of a practically air-tight shell or casing having a contracted top opening and a. horizontally-rotating disk or wheel mounted in said shell or casing, leaving a surrounding separatingchamber in which a revolving body of air accompanies it, and an annular communicatingaperture between its top edge and the edge of the top of the shell or casing, a feed-hop per above for directing the material upon the top of the rotating disk or wheel, whereby it is thrown centrifugally outwardly and dis charged over its edge and through the annular communicating-aperture in the sphere of the revolving body of air, and an adjustable gate or valve for controlling and regulating said communicating-aperture and the feed of the material through it, substantially as described.

5. In aseparator, the combination of a practically-air-tight shell or casing having a top opening and a horizontally-rotating disk or wheel mounted in the shell or casing, leaving a surrounding separating-chamber in which a revolving body of air accompanies it, and an annular communicating-aperture between its top and the edge of the top opening of the shell or casing, a feed-hopper above having a downwardly-extending neck adapted to directthe material centrally upon the top of the disk or wheel, whereby said material is thrown outwardly by centrifugal force and discharged over its edge through the communicating-aperture into the sphere of the revolving body of air, and the inverted pan-shaped gate or valve seated and vertically movable uponthe neck of the hopper and having its rim extending down into the communicating-aperture, whereby the feed of material through said aperture is regulated and controlled, substantially as described.

6. A separator consisting of the combination of the shell or casing, the horizontallyrotating diskor wheel mounted therein and leaving a surrounding separating-chamber between its periphery and the wall of the shell or casing, in which a revolving body of air accompanies it, and an annular communicating-aperture from the top of said disk or wheel into said chamber, a flanged ledge within said chamber, scrapers secured to the disk or wheel and operating in the bottom of the shell or casing and over the flanged ledge separate outlets for said ledge and the bottom of the shell or casing, a feed-hopper adapted to direct the material upon the top of the disk or wheel, whereby it is thrown outwardly by centrifugal force and discharged into the surrounding separate chamber, and the vertically-adj ustable gate or valve for controlling the communicating-aperture from the top of the disk or wheel into the separating-chamber, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN M. FINCH. 'Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, H. 0. LEE. 

